


The Final Frontier

by Fibi94



Series: Universe Delta [3]
Category: Designated Survivor (TV)
Genre: Alex is not pleased with how Tom handled that day, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-26
Updated: 2018-05-26
Packaged: 2019-05-13 00:28:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14738672
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Fibi94/pseuds/Fibi94





	The Final Frontier

“You’d like some scrambled eggs Mike?” Tom asks his friend, “No thanks sir, I liked them last week.” Tom narrows his eyes “Everybody is a comedian.” He says, “The first lady is not home yet?” Mike asks, Tom smiles “No, she’ll be back later today.” He says, Mike tells him lift off is in twenty minutes and walks to the bedroom to change, with Alex attending her first international summit he was feeling a bit out of his game these past few days, but he would be fine in the end.

XXXX

“You did what?” Tom winches, he knew Alex would be upset with him, “I fired Cornelius.” He says again, he sees her eyes throwing daggers at him, “YOU DID WHAT?” this time she screams, he's sure people in the outer office heard them and he winches even more. Alex is livid, shaking from her anger at this point and Tom is seriously considering just running for the hills, he knows this is going to end up in one of their biggest fights to day “Alex.” He tries but Alex just raises her finger stopping him from saying another word. “Do not say another word Tom!” she warns him,

“But.” Tom tries but Alex stops him “Zip it!” she warns him, Tom closes his mouth “I don’t know what you’ll do I don’t care what you’ll do just fix it!” she tells him, the door opens, “I’m sorry is this a bad time?” Alex turns around, “Andrea?” she is shocked to see her old college roommate standing there, “Alex!” the two women embrace each other, Tom stands there he hopes and prays that Alex will forget about him for long enough for him to actually run.

“Oh my god I haven’t seen you in years!” Alex says Andrea smirks, “Yeah, I was traveling; I see you married the punk” she jokes Alex turns back and sees Tom with his hand on the door handle, “Yeah, something I’m regretting about now!”  Tom winches and lets the door handle drop. “Do you have some free time to catch up?” she asks Andrea, “Well I did have a meeting with your husband his government owes me a few millions.” Alex chuckles, “That sounds like it, but it’s fine Tom has something else to fix first!” she says looking at Tom, he’s sure if looks could kill he would be dead by now, “We’ve got some time in our hands!” she says taking Andrea by the arm and leading her out of the oval and to the residence, Tom breathes out and leans back on his desk, “Wyatt!” he calls for his assistant, the young man walks in “Yes sir!” he says, “Get me President Moss here please.”

XXXX

Alex and Andrea walked in the west sitting hall, Alex walked in the kitchen and brought in two cups of coffee and sat down next to her friend, “So what you did since last we spoke?” she asks, it was so long since the two of the spoke, years really, “Well I got my doctorate and took over my father’s company, turned it towards space technology rather than you know, more earth-y.” she says smiling, Alex chuckles, “No more plane parts?”

 Andrea smirks, “Well not so much anymore, the contract with Boeing is still kinda there but you know times change it’s not my primary focus.” She takes a sip from her cup and turns to Alex, “What about you?”

“Well Tom and I joined the peach corps, for a while, till after I gave birth, that was our honeymoon. As you see he lost the mullet and the eyeliner, and the leather pants which is a shame.” Alex says smirking, Andrea laughs, throwing her head back, “Does he still have the tattoos?” she asks a smirk on her lips that reminded Alex of their time in college. “You bet he does!”

The two of them start laughing, it’s such a nice feeling, “I missed talking to you.” Andrea says smiling, “Me too, we have to stay in touch, it’s crazy we live in the same city now!” Alex mentions, Andrea looks around the room, “Yeah, well you live in the white house so, you know there’s that!” Alex looks around, “Yeah there’s that.” Tom walks in the room Alex turns around and looks at him, “What are you doing here?” she asks, her face instantly turning cold.

“Well I partially fixed it, he’s coming over to talk in a couple hours can I have my appointment back?” He asks with a smirk, he had his hands behind his back a proud smirk on his lips. Alex smiles and stands up, “Sure thing honey, see how easier things are when you listen to me?” she leans over and places a soft kiss on his lips, Leo opens the door an walks in the room, he murmurs something under his breath not really paying any attention to the people in the room and walks out of the sitting hall, it takes him a couple times to open the door, even slamming onto it once but he does it, “Leo?” Andrea asks shocked, showing at the open door the young man had left, “What was that?” Tom asks in shock, Alex bites her lip. “He’s taking his SATs ignore it.” She reassures them Andrea walks to the stairs letting the two of them have some time alone, “Alright, I’ll see you later.” Tom says smiling.

XXXX

“Alex!” Tom almost jumps from his chair when Alex barges in the oval. She gives him a note, Tom notices it’s from Penny’s school and groans.

“This came with Penny today, three hours earlier than she was supposed to be back!” she says Tom reads the note quickly; it was exactly what he thought.

“Penny got in a fight?” he asks, “No, no, no, she didn’t get in a fight; she got into another fight Tom! This means that Penny was involved in a fight before Tom! Which I didn’t know but from the look on your face it seems as if you did!” Andrea bites her lip, she quickly looks for the exit but finds herself not able to take her eyes from it,

“Honey.” Tom tries; Alex rubs her temples she feels a headache coming.

“Listen I had talked to her about it!” Tom says, the moment the words came out of his mouth Tom knew that he was in deep trouble.

“So you did know!?” Tom winches again, he feels like this is the constant look on his face today. “You fix this, because help me god you’re this close to being a divorcee.” She says before storming out of the room. “Yikes.” Andrea says, Tom looks at her a pained look on his face, “Indeed.”  He turns his attention back to the files he has before him, “Where were we? Oh yes about the government’s dept, I’ll…” he stops looking at the door Alex slammed, he knows he needs to deal with that just as much as he needs to deal with what is happening in front of him so he gives it another try. “I’ll, um…”

“Sir, you want to go upstairs, just go.” She tells him stopping him, it feels so weird for her to call Tom sir, but at least in the oval office she is going to maintain at least some decorum.

“Oh no, no, no, if I go upstairs right now Alex will throw me over the Truman balcony and that’s not an option.” He tells her, “Wait a sec,” something clicks in his head and he calls Wyatt’s name, “Wyatt!”

“Yes sir?” the young man says walking in the oval.

“Have the secret service bring Penny down here please.”

“Of course.” The young man closes the door behind him and Tom sits back to the his chair, “So as I was saying, I’ll see that the debt is taken care of in the following months, we might now be able to pay you in one go but we will try and work out…” a knock on the door interrupts him once more, this time his secretary opens the door, “Sir, president Moss is here.” She tells him at the same time almost the other door to the oval opens and he sees Penny walking

“Daddy?”

“Oh crap!” he murmurs under his breath. “No! Senator Lyman stay right there! Do not move a muscle! You can wait outside.” The man was about to enter the office stands there frozen; Cornelius smirks and leans against the door casually. “Oh boy.” Tom murmurs looking around the room, “Penny to my office now, Cornelius wait here, Dr. Frost.” He stops, “Umm, wait here with President Moss.” He follows Penny to his private office the young girl stands looking at the floor.

“Another fight Penny?” he asks, “This time I didn’t start it!” Penny complained.

“Penny the note said you hit the other kid!”

“He was badmouthing you and mom!”

“So you punched him.” Tom stoops and closes his eyes, “Ok that sounds legit.” He breaths out, “Problem is that now your mother knows about the other fights too.” He tells her, Penny looks at him, the look on her face was remorseful, “Did I get you in trouble daddy?” she asks, Tom kneels in front of his daughter, “Yeah kinda, I should have told her though.” He puts his hands on her shoulders and tells her, “Listen, I don’t want you to get into any more fights you understand?”

“Yeah”

“Penny no more fights for no reason whatsoever!” he repeats again, putting emphasis on his last words, “Ok!”

“Good and you’re grounded for a week.” He tells her standing up.

“But daddy!”  she complains.

“No it’s either I ground you for a week or your mother grounds me for a month and between you and me I’d rather it be you than me.” He tells her, “But.” Penny tries again; Tom raises his finger and interrupts Penny again. “No Penny! She can stay mad at me she can’t stay mad at you.” Penny nods and walks to the door, “I love you.” Tom tells her, Penny turns around and says, “I love you too.” Tom smiles, “No you don’t you hate me right now.” He says, Penny smiles and shrugs.

“Hate is a very strong word daddy; it’s more of a dislike.”

“I’ll take that.” Tom says nodding he opens the door, Mike is waiting outside the door as always, “Mike can you get Penny back in the residence?”

“Yes sir.”

Tom watches Penny walking to the residence with Mike and closes the door; he lets out a deep breath, “Phew, one down four to go!” he opens the door to the oval, “Doctor, in the office, Cornelius I’ll be back in a moment.” Andrea waves Cornelius goodbye and walks to Tom’s private office, “Andrea, I,” he stops, closing his eyes, “Wait, Wyatt! Get me Kendra here.”  He yells to the young boy, Cornelius watches with a smirk Tom goes to walk back in his private office when he stops and turns on his heel, “Actually you know what forget it!” he walks to his private office and looks at Andrea that is watching this just as amused as Cornelius.

“Andrea second floor it’s the white house counsel’s office find Kendra Daynes she’ll be dealing with this issue.” He tells her and walks her to the door.

“Thank you sir.”

“Thank you doctor.” Closing the door behind him Tom tells to himself, “Two down Tom you’re halfway there!” everything around him is slightly dizzying. He walks back to the oval; Cornelius is sitting on one of the couches and looks at him with his usual smug look. “Cornelius.” Tom says, “Tom” he says smirking, Tom doesn’t have any words to say, this was so awkward for Tom but Cornelius seemed to be enjoying it a lot. “Well?” he says, “You’re really gonna make me do it won’t you?” Tom asks, Cornelius smirks, “Absolutely!”

“I’m sorry for what I said and how I acted that day, you were absolutely right in what you said and I was wrong, your job is still here if you want it.” Tom says, Cornelius stands up and fixes his jacket. “Thank you.”

“So?” Tom asks.

“What?”

“You’re coming back?” Cornelius looks at him in confusion, “Who told you I even cleared out my desk?” he asks him.

“Alex called you?” he asks, “Of course she did! Honestly most times I think she should be president.” Tom chuckles, “Most days I agree.”  Tom says and leads Cornelius to the door. “Thank you Cornelius.”

“Yeah you sure should, because next time I’m gonna beat your ass.” He says, Tom chuckles again nodding, “Alex will probably assist.”

He closes the door and wonders was this the time he would actually pass out. “Three down!” he murmurs before walking to the door, senator Lyman is waiting for him in the outer office, his once dark brown hair now almost completely white, “Senator Lyman!” Tom says shaking the man’s hand.

“Mr. President.” The two men walk in the oval, Tom notices the ease with which the other man moves around in the office, he takes a seat and the man followed sitting across from him.

“Senator you are the head of the science and technology committee in the senate am I right?” Lyman smiles and sits back more comfortably, “Yes sir.”

“And a member of the appropriations committee correct?” Tom sees the smirk on the other mans lips and he knows what the other man is about to say before he even opens his mouth.

“Sir, what do you want?”

“I want your support in bill HB-1858” Tom says, Lyman sits forward “The NASA bill?” he asks/

“Yes.”

“I could, and if I may if you want to gather support on this issue, President Bartlet would be glad to advocate for it.” Tom takes a deep breath, this was the best way to go Alex was once again right, he wonders why the hell his wife isn’t his chief of staff, at least on moments like these, this bill was stuck in committee for weeks.

“Thank you senator.”

“Oh boy four down one to go.”

XXXX

Tom walks in the bedroom slowly, Alex is lying on the bed her laptop in her lap, “So?” she asks.

“I fixed everything.”

“Cornelius?”

“Will be back at his office tomorrow morning.”

“Penny?”

“Grounded for a week.”

“Andrea?”

“She’ll get her money in a six month period.”

“The NASA bill?”

“I got Lyman’s support and President Bartlet agreed to help us by advocating on our behalf.”

“Good.” She says with a small smirk, Tom walks slowly to the wardrobe, “So I’ll take my blanket and pillow and go to the couch.” Alex smiles and sees him walk slowly, a pout on his lips walking to the door with his blanket and pillow under his arm.

“Goodnight.”

Alex waits for a while making sure that Tom had settled into his “bed” before she walked in the living room, Tom was bundled in the couch shocked when he saw Alex sneaking under the blanket with him.

“What are you doing?” he asks, Alex was lying on top of him a big smile on her face, “I never said I wasn’t going to sneak in with you in the couch.” Tom smiles and leans forward for a kiss when the door opens and Leo walks in the room.

“Leo?” Alex asks, the young man looks around disoriented, “Where am I?” he asks, Tom sits up carefully trying not to push Alex off, his hand behind her waist, “Living room.” Tom says, Leo keeps looking around puzzled, “Not the kitchen?” he asks, Tom looks around the room, “No this is the living room.” he says again.

“Where is the kitchen?” Leo asks, “That way.” Alex tells him.

“Oh.” Leo says walking out of the room towards where Alex told him the kitchen was.

Tom lays back “Why is he like that again?” he asks Alex who’s still a little shocked by what she saw, “SATs” she simply says before settling back on top of him, “And he wants to get to Yale so…”

“I blame you for that.” He says, Alex smiles widely, “You’re still bitter he chose Yale aren’t you?” she says sitting up, Tom sits up next to her, “Yes! Damn right I am!” he says, Alex’s smile falls and her eyes narrow, “Tom!”

“Shut up or I will sleep on the couch alone?”

“Let’s go to bed.”

 


End file.
